International Mountain Guides Everest
2009 : Dawes Eddy oldest
American to successful make it up and down Everest ...

The oldest American to successfully
[made it back down too] climb Everest, Dawes Eddy from
Spokane, WA (66yo) and the 17 year old American boy to successfully climb
Everest, Johnny Collinson from Snowbird, UT (17yo). Dawes climbed with IMG
on May 20 and Johnny climbed with Damien Benegas on May 19, 2009

Earlier: I spent last night up at Pumori Camp 1 watching live sherpa
helmet cam video come in by microwave from the summit climbers, as part of
the Discovery Channel filming. It was pretty exciting to watch, and I will
look forward to seeing the show (scheduled for November I think).

Here is the wrap-up on our first big summit day, May 20:
Descending all the way to Camp 2 were Li Hui and Panuru, Chris and Pemba
Dorje, Jane and Kami, Scott and Danuru, Dawes and Mingma Chhirring, Louis
and Dasona, and Greg, Phillipe, Chhewang Lendu, Gyalgen Dorje (Lhotse).
Staying at the Col for another night are Mike, Ed, Esther, Samduk, and
Jamling. Matt is at the Col, climbing tonight with the Himex team,
accompanied by Mingma Dorje. Kamen, Petya, Jon, Justin, Peh Gee, and Joanne
are at C3, ready to move up in the morning. The weather report continues to
be good!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Ang Jangbu reports that Ed Wardle, Li Hui, and Scott P.
are already down on the South Col. Dawes, Jane Lee, and Esther are below the
Balcony. Mike Hamill made the summit shortly after the main group and is now
descending too.

We are also happy to announce IMG summits on Lhotse as
reported to the Nepal officials just a few minutes ago. The following team
members of IMG Lhotse Expedition have reached the summit of Lhotse at
07:45am on May 20, 2009:

Earlier: Ang
Jangbu reports that IMG team members Ed
Wardle, Li Hui, and Scott P are already down on the South Col. Dawes,
Jane Lee, and Esther are below the Balcony. Mike Hamill made the summit
shortly after the main group and is now descending too.

Lhotse summit! We are happy
to announce IMG summits on Lhotse as reported to the Nepal officials
just a few minutes ago:

The following
team members of IMG Lhotse Expedition have
reached the summit of Lhotse at 07:45 am on 20 May 2009:

Earlier: Eric
Simonson just phoned in from Everest to let us know that our first summit
team has successfully reached the summit and is now on their way down.
They got an early start and most of them summitted between 4 and 4:30am,
just as dawn was breaking over the Himalayas. Summiters include three
members of our awesome Singapore women's team, Jane, Li Hui, and Esther.
US Astronaut and medical scientist Scott Parazynski reached the top along
with Dawes Eddy, a remarkable athlete from Spokane, Washington. We believe
Dawes has just become the oldest American born to ever reach the summit of
Everest. At last report, IMG's Mike Hamill was just a few minutes below
the summit and moving up strongly. Meanwhile, IMG's Greg Vernovage and
Phillipe Der Arslanian were last reported very near the summit of
neighboring Lhotse, still moving up in good time.

IMG's
sherpa team, as always, has done another outstanding job this year. We'll
post a full name list of summits by them once the reports are in. We are
proud to recognize that IMG's sherpas were the first people to summit both
Everest and Lhotse this year while putting in the fixed ropes on the route
and paving the way for everyone else. We can't praise them enough!

We will
post the official list of summits as soon as the information is compiled
by Ang Jangbu at Base Camp and emailed to the officials in Nepal.

WAY TO GO
IMG CLIMBERS!

Eric Simonson called in to let us know that the IMG
summit bids have begun. The climbers at the Col were heading uphill before
10pm hoping to get an early start on the summit push. The weather is looking
OK, and we will expect to hear from the climbers at various progress points.
We'll keep you posted as news comes in.

Earlier: Today was good weather, and a number of teams
reached the summit. We do not have a tally yet, and there are still
clilmbers coming back down, but it looks like it was a successful day for
many groups, though a bit of a traffic jam up high. We are wishing them all
good luck, and hoping they get down safe and sound.

Our IMG team members left C3 between 5am and 6am and
everyone was up on the South Col before noon, so plenty of time this
afternoon for a good rest. They are planning to leave this evening for the
top, with summits possible any time after dawn tomorrow.

Greg and the Lhotse crew are at Lhotse Camp 4, and
Chhewang and Gyalgen are currently within a few meters of the summit of
Lhotse, on their fixing mission.

The second team of Everest climbers are all at C2, ready
to move to C3 in the morning. The next few days and nights will be sleepless
here at BC, as Tucker, Jangbu, and I track the teams moving up and down.
This year we'll also be following the Discovery Channel's live microwave
transmissions from the sherpas wearing helmet cams, so that will be fun to
watch in real time. Unfortunately, the stretch from the Balcony to the South
Summit is still the notorious "black hole" for any transmissions, including
radio, since climbers are on the other side of the SE Ridge, so we won't be
able to follow that section any better than before. We'll keep you posted!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: The weather stayed windy and the teams that had gone
up to the Col on the 17th ended up having to hold there for another day.
Today (the 18th) a number more teams went up to the Col, so climbing tonight
there are going to be at least ten teams going for the top. Good luck to
them!

We had four sherpas carry to the Col today, putting the
finishing touches on our IMG cache up there, ready for the first wave of our
climbers. The IMG members on the first wave climbed to Camp 3 today are all
safely tucked in for the night with their sherpas and will be heading to the
Col in the morning.

The second wave including Kamen/Pasang Rinjing, Petya/Nima
Karma, John/Phinjo, Joanne/Datenji, PehGee/Dawa headed up this morning to
C2. The Lhotse crew are also at C3 and Chhewang and Gyalgen are up at Lhotse
C4, ready to finish fixing tomorrow. So far, so good, we'll keep our
fingers crossed.

Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Today everyone made the final preparations for our
summit bids. Tomorrow morning everyone at Camp 2 heads for Camp 3. At BC we
have Kamen/Pasang Rinjing, Petya/Nima Karma, Jon/Phinjo, Peh Gee/Dawa,
Joanne/Datenji, and Justin all heading up to Camp 2. Also going up tomorrow
from BC are seven sherpas to Camp 2 to sleep and support the summit bids,
and two sherpas to Camp 1 to finish bringing down the gear there (this
morning some of the C1 tents were brought down, since this camp will not be
used any more). In the morning we also have five sherpas going to the Col,
and four to Camp 3 to set up tents and carry oxygen. Chhewang and Gyalgen
are headed to Lhotse Camp 4 in the morning to finish fixing the Lhotse
route. So, tomorrow is the big day for everyone to start moving up. The
weather is looking good and everyone is ready!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Summit bids are in full swing now, with lots of
teams heading up. Ed, Scott, Danuru and Samduk headed up to Camp 2
this morning along with Jane, Li Hui, Esther, Kami, Panuru, and Jamling.
Mike, Paul, Louis, Chris, and Dawes are at C2 taking a rest day today.
Tomorrow morning we are sending ten sherpas up to Camp 2 to support the
summit bids. The Lhotse team of Greg, Dave, Philippe, Chhewang and Gyalgen
are also at C2. Today we had four sherpas carry to Lhotse Camp 4 and set up
a tent there. Yesterday the Kazak team fixed 600m above the camp. We'll be
sending up additional sherpas to work on fixing the route above Lhotse Camp
4 in the next day or two.

The Sherpa Trek team left this morning for Lobuche.
Everyone was doing well and we enjoyed their visit.

The weather is still a little windy up high, but hopefully
will be improving over the next couple days.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Today was a final day of R and R and organization. All the
climbers and Sherpas are back up from down valley. Tomorrow we finally have
climbers moving up. Greg, Dave A, and Philippe will head to Camp 2 to begin
their Lhotse bid. Also heading to Camp 2 are Mike, Paul, Louis, Dasona,
Chris and Pemba Dorge, and Dawes and Mingma Chirring. The weather is still a
bit unsettled, but the forecasts are for an improving trend. We'll keep
you posted.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Plans for Summit Bids in Improving Weather

The weather is still unsettled, with rain in Nepal, but
showing signs of improvement. The sun came out today and it didn't snow, so
that was a major improvement over the last few days. All our sherpas are now
back to Base Camp after some of them took a quick run down to their homes.
We spent the day plotting and strategizing about summit bid plans, more to
follow on that. We still have some team members doing R and R down the
valley in Pheriche, but they should be back tomorrow. Knock on wood, this
next week or so will see some summits!!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: This morning was windy and snowy, and at 5:30am,
Justin, Jon, Jon, and their sherpa team roped up and headed down from Camp
2. The trip to Camp 1 was low visibility and it made them happy that IMG had
put in wands in the Cwm, for navigation in these conditions. By the time
they got to Camp 1, the weather started to improve, and when they got to BC
it was very nice. It was great to get them back to BC, and they had quite a
story to tell of their descent to C2 from the Col yesterday. Later, the
clouds rolled back in and it snowed again this afternoon. The weather is
quite unstable right now with moisture coming through each day now.
Hopefully it will improve in a few days!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: The sherpa community forms the soul and backbone of
Everest climbing. The rest of us are mere guests in their native land and
fortunate to have their priceless help when we come to climb this mountain.
Whenever a sherpa is lost on Everest, a large community is devastated. The
pain goes far beyond grief for a lost friend or family member, and for many,
the reality of severe economic hardship looms large.

The international climbing community can only offer our
sincere thanks and sympathy to that sherpa community and give our direct
support to the families involved.

As in the past, IMG will organize a relief fund to be
directed to support the family of Lhapka Nuru Sherpa, lost in the recent
avalanche on Everest (see post below from May 7), through our affiliated
non-profit organization, AFFIMER (American Foundation for International
Mountaineering Exploration and Research.)

Those who wish to help Lhapka's family in this time of
great need can make tax deductible donations to the fund as follows:

AFFIMER is organized under the Nonprofit Public Benefit
Corporation Law for charitable purposes and is operated exclusively for
charitable, educational and scientific purposes within the meaning of
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. AFFIMER is dedicated to
promoting the exploration of mountains for the purpose of increasing
geographic, cultural, and scientific understanding of the global alpine
environment. Founded in 1990 by a group of alpine mountain climbers and
researchers from across the United States, AFFIMER is governed by a
volunteer board of directors and receives its funding from private
contributions and donations from the public.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: This morning our South Col team woke up to windy
weather and some more snow overnight, and decided to head on down. Justin,
Jon, John, Mingma Tenzing, Phinjo, Kancha Nuru, and Ang Karma descended
successfully from the Col to Camp 2 and will be heading down to BC in
the morning.

We had a sad story develop today at Base Camp with the
death of one sherpa cook boy overnight and the near fatal poisoning of
another, from other expeditions, both stricken after drinking locally
purchased bootleg whiskey made with methyl alcohol. The weather at BC was
too cloudy to get a helicopter in today for him, and HRA docs Eric and
Torrey worked hard all day to save the life of the second guy. At this time
his status is still uncertain. I hope the Liason Officers will do an
investigation into this crime; this is really such a tragedy.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Shea, Golden, Merle, and four sherpas made it up to the
Col yesterday by 11am but during the afternoon, the weather deteriorated so
they were unable to make a summit attempt (they were planning to start in
the late evening).

Down at Base Camp we had snow in the afternoon, and it is
cloudy this morning and looks like it may continue. This morning Justin
reports from the Col that they are all OK after their overnight there, and
now are above the clouds, but that they are going to be coming back down to
Camp 2 today.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Climbers Shea, Golden, Merle, Phinjo, and Mingma
Tenzing decided to take a shot at the summit, despite the less than ideal
forecast. They left Camp 2 at 1:30 this morning (May 10) and are currently
(8:30am) above the Yellow Band on the way to Camp 4. Weather is holding, so
far so good. Their plan is to rest this afternoon at the Col and try for the
top tonight. We'll keep you posted on their progress.

This morning the Singapore climbers descended from C2 to
BC along with Kami, Jamling, Datenji, and Phinjo Dorge. Several members of
the IMG team are heading down to Pheriche today for some thick air, and a
final rest before their summit bids. Last night we spoke on the radio to IMG
guide Chris Meder who is leading (along with Phu Tashi) our "Sherpa Trek "
group in to Base Camp. It sounds like everything is going well for them and
they have been having a good time on the trek so far. They are currently
taking a rest day in Dingboche and tomorrow they will be heading up to
Lobuche, with a planned arrival at Base Camp on the 14th.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: The winds picked up on schedule yesterday afternoon
as the jet stream passed over the top of Mt. Everest, as forecasted. Today
is also windy up high. The weather window on the 11th and 12th that we were
shooting for has gotten smaller, bracketed by stronger winds both to the
east and west, so most of the team members have opted to come back down and
wait for a better weather window.

Scott, Karel, Dawes, Petya, Kamen, Ed, Jamie, and all
their sherpas have come down today to BC. The Singapore team has stayed up
at C2 for more acclimatization. Jon and John, with Justin, Mingma Tenzing
and Phinjo are going to go ahead and take a shot at the summit, weather
permitting. Stay tuned!

Lhotse Team members Greg, Philippe and Dave A. are at BC
resting prior to their summit bid. We figure that we'll need about 1000
meters of rope to get the Lhotse Couloir fixed, and we are working with
several other teams that also have Lhotse permits to get the fixing done.
Tomorrow we are sending Ang Karma and Pasang to Lhotse Camp 4 to drop gear
for fixing (400 meters rope, 11 pitons, 5 screws, 9 pickets, caribiners). If
the weather cooperates we hope that we'll be able to start fixing on the
13th.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: This morning Jon Shea and John Golden, with Phinjo,
headed up to Camp 2 to join the climbers already up there.
Their tentative plan for the next few days is to head up to Camp 3 and
beyond, depending on the weather!

At BC this morning, we had a meeting with a number of
other expeditions at HRA to debrief what went well and what can be improved
for the future regarding rescues, such as the one that occurred yesterday.
IMG is sending our rescue pack and oxygen pack, both used yesterday, over to
the Himex storage tent which is located near the glacier at BC, within easy
reach of climbers deployed for rescue activities. Some of the other main
teams here will also do the same, to make the gear more accessible in an
emergency. Regarding communications in the future, we discussed how some
teams can do a better job tracking the location of their members — yesterday
there was quite a lot of confusion as to who was missing after
the avalanche.

We'll be keeping our fingers crossed on the weather!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Today started out pretty normal, with the first team making a
timely departure and climbing the Icefall in good form. Later, Rejean was
descending the Icefall with Dawa, his sherpa, and three of our IMG sherpas
who had already carried to C2 and were on the way back down to BC (Mingma
Tenzing #2, Thunang, and Karma Dorje). The five of them made good time back
down the Icefall until about 10 am when a huge ice avalanche swept down the
lower Icefall from the West Shoulder and blasted them. Immediately
afterwards they radioed to us that they were all OK. Only later, when they
all returned to camp, did we get the whole story. When they saw the
avalanche break loose above them, they only had maybe 10 seconds to seek
shelter. Dawa led them around an ice block, where they crouched down and
were blasted by snow and ice chunks. After the dust settled, they looked
for some other climbers that had been nearby them, and noted that three of
them were missing. Climbing down to a nearby crevasse, they met other
climbers that had also been descending. Buried in the bottom of the
crevasse were two climbers. Of the 22 climbers at the accident scene, only Dawa
had a climbing rope and a pocket knife. With the help of Pasang, a sherpa
from Indian Army expedition, they engineered the rescue of the two buried
climbers from the crevasse, one of whom was brought to the surface
unconscious and hypothermic. Then they started down, carrying this
unconsciousious victim. Later, they met up with other climbers and sherpas
climbing up from below, who were able to start this man on oxygen and
package him in a sked stretcher and sleeping bag and evacuate him. Over two
and one half hours of additional searching was conducted for the missing
sherpa, at considerable risk to the many rescuers who participated, to no
avail. Only his backpack and one boot were found--it must have been a
terrific blast that hit him. All in all it was a sad afternoon, but thanks
to the hard work of Damien and Willie Benegas, Dave Hahn, Mark Tucker, Ang
Jangbu, and the many climbers and sherpas that participated. At IMG camp
we sent our prepackaged rescue gear and oxygen up with Phunuru and Panuru,
who raced up at full speed to help. At the end, Rejean made it back to BC
safe and sound, after a day he will never forget. Eric Simonson

Earlier: Panuru and Mingma Tenzing returned to BC this morning from
C2 after their summit yesterday (also descending from C2 this morning were
Greg, Dave A. and Phillipe). It was great to get the lowdown from them on
their progress fixing. In addition to cutting down a bunch of old rope, they
strung double-ropes above the South Summit to allow for both up and down
traffic, and also put three new ropes on the Hillary Step (and removed about
ten old ones). It sounds like they had a great day up there!

After breakfast we had a big team meeting to review plans
for the summit bids. It looks like we might have a decent window about the
11/12th, so tomorrow we are going to launch our first summit team, heading for
the top. The first team will be Scott/Danuru, Dawes/Mingma Chhiring, Ed/Samduk,
Rejean/Dawa, Karel/Karma Rita, Kamen/Pasang Rinji, Petya/Nima Karma, Li Hui/Kancha
Nuru, Joanne/Datenji, and Jane/Kami. The second team will be a day or two
later, depending on how the forecast looks.

Since we had the whole team together today, we thought it
was a good time for a group picture. The afternoon was spent doing final
checkout with everyone on the oxygen systems, radios, and other gear for the
summit bids. We also had a meeting with the Sherpas to review their jobs as
part of the film team. We'll have several of them accompanying the team,
wearing the microwave "sherpa cams" and also carrying the sound recording
equipment for the Discovery Channel show. Keep your fingers crossed for the
good weather we'll need to pull this off!!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: IMG sherpa Mingma Tenzing was first on top of Everest for
2009 at 12:25pm. Panuru (IMG), Kami Rita (AAI), Dorje and Nima Tsering (Himex)
were a few minutes behind him. They left the Col at 2:15am. Over the last two
days the five sherpas fixed the ropes from South Col to the Summit and cut
away a lot of old ropes on the rock step below the South Summit and the
Hillary Step as part of the continuing efforts this year to clean up the route
of a lot of the old ropes that have been left on the mountain over the years.
After their climb, they descended to the Col, took down their tent, then
descended to Camp 2, a very impressive performance on the part of these men.

Also today Greg, Dave A., Phunuru, and Philippe descended to
C2 from C3. Dave R. and Justin descended to BC from C2.

Eric had a visit today at Base Camp from an old friend, Rick
Wilcox from North Conway, NH. Rick was leading a trek group and swung by to
say hi. Rick and Eric summitted Everest the same day, May 15,
1991, Eric from the North and Rick from the South. Rick runs the IMCS guide
service in the Mt. Washington Valley, and at IMG we regularly trade both
guides and customers with his outfit. We reminisced about the old days when
men were men, sheep were scared, and the route was not fixed to the summit. We
both agree, though, it sure is safer now with the ropes, and kudos to the
sherpas who did such a great job the last couple days!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: The weather was fairly grim today — wind and snow, so not
much in the way of progress on the mountain. Greg, Justin, Phillipe, and the
two Daves are at C2. Sherpas took a rest today, and tomorrow we have a big
push scheduled for the South Col coinciding with the start of the fixing above
the Col. Mingma Tenzing and Panuru will be leaving C2 at 2am for the Col, with
the plan to go fix to the Balcony along with one AAI sherpa and two from
Himex. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Yesterday was a historic day for route making on Everest.
Kari Kobler donated his Hilti bolt gun and guides Willie Benegas and Adrian
Ballinger drilled six new 10cm Mammut stainless steel bolts up on the Yellow
Band to anchor two new ropes — one for up traffic and one for down. Good work
you guys. In the process they also cut down over 30kg of old rope. The
immediate beneficiaries will be the Sherpas, who have had to deal with a
spider-web of old ropes over the years. Now, this is much safer for them. When
the climbers start going up to the Col in the next few days they will find
that this makes it a lot faster and less confusing. We are hoping to do the
same thing up on the Geneva Spur next, and hopefully up in the rock step below
the South Summit too.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Most of the sherpas had a well deserved rest day today,
after a busy week. Tomorrow they are back at it, stocking C2 and C4. Our Camp
3 acclimatization rotation is now almost over. The Singapore team descended
from C3 today and John, Jon, and Matt went up to C3 for their overnight there.
Justin and Dave are up at C1 tonight. Hamill's team is back to BC now. Kamen
and Petya went down to Pheriche for some R & R today prior to the summit bids.

Before that can happen, we still have the issue of the
fixing above the Col, estimated to be about 2300 meters of rope. It looks like
we will be sending Panuru and Mingma Tenzing, a couple of our top sherpas, up
tomorrow with the plan for them to be moving up to the Col on the 2nd, where
they will meet a few sherpas from other teams and beginning to fix on the 3rd,
weather permitting. Right now it looks like we might get a little snow over
the next few days, so we'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Today we had 11 sherpas carry to the South Col. Mike, Louis,
Paul, Dasona, Chris, and Pemba Dorje climbed to C3 and are spending the night
there now. Descending this morning from their C3 overnight to C2 were Kamen/Nima
Karma, Petya/Pasang Rinjing, Dawes/Mingma Tshering, Karel/Karma Rita. They
will come down to BC tomorrow.

Jon is at C2 now with John. Greg, Philippe, and Dave took a
Cwm hike today up to the base of the Lhotse face and are staying at C2 again.
The Singapore team is heading for C3 in the morning. Weather was good today
but our most recent forecast has a chance of precip coming in by the end of
the week, so we are going to keep pushing hard here for a few more days. We
have another big sherpa carry to the Col scheduled for the morning.

This afternoon at Base Camp, Jangbu hosted a big meeting of
the Sirdars (sherpa leaders) from a bunch of the various expeditions to review
how the fixing went to the Col and how to do the fixing above the Col. As we
had hoped, a number of teams have stepped up and made good contributions to
the efforts. We appreciate that many expeditions want to help — thanks to all
those teams who have participated. We will continue to try to work together
and build concensus. Everest is an international mountain and it works best if
we can all work together.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Today was another good one for the IMG team. The weather
cooperated and the wind died down, allowing five sherpas to carry to the Col.
Four more went to C3, where they set up more tents. Climbing to Camp 3
today were Kamen, Petya, Karel, and Dawes, who are now all spending the night
there with their personal sherpas. Hamill and his crew, along with John and
Chris, took an acclimatization climb to the base of the Lhotse Face today.
Vernovage and his Lhotse team ascended to C2, along with the Singapore team.
Shea moved up to C1. Scott, Ed, and Rejean descended to BC.

We had additional sherpas carries today to C1 and C2, and
tomorrow we have a number of sherpas moving to C2 to start making carries to
the Col. So, things are rolling and we are shooting to get C4 at the Col well
established in the next few days, as weather allows. Jangbu has a meeting
scheduled tomorrow with a number of the sirdars of the various teams to start
making plans to fix above the Col.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Jet Stream Kicks Up Wind on Everest

IMG climbers Ed, Scott, and Rejean descended from C3 to C2
after a windy night on the Lhotse Face. The team at C2, Kamen, Petya, Dawes,
Karel who hoped to go to C3 today were forced to hold at C2 due to the wind.
If tomorrow is better, they will take another shot at going to C3. Several
other teams lost tents at C2 today, but our camp stayed in place! Moving up to
C2 from C1 was Mike, Louis, and Paul. Greg and his Lhotse team stayed put at
C1 today. The Singapore women moved to C1 from BC.

If tomorrow is decent, we have five sherpas scheduled to
work at C3 erecting more tents, and five more sherpas going to the South Col.
However, it seems that the jet stream is perched right over the top of Mt.
Everest right now — we can hear the wind blowing up high down at BC, and it
sounds like the proverbial train.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Route in to South Col; Camp 3 Occupied

Today we had 2 Sherpas carry to Camp 1 and 11 Sherpas carry
to C2. Moving up to Camp 1 this morning were Mike, Louis, Paul, Dasona, Chris,
Pemba Dorje (Everest); and Greg, Dave, Phillipe, Pasang Nuru (Lhotse). Karel
and Karma Rita moved from C1 to C2. The sherpas set up three tents at C3, and
moving to Camp 3 today were Scott, Danuru, Rejean, Dawa, Ed, and Samduk. They
are the first residents of C3.

The big news on the mountain was that the route to the Col
was established today, with IMG sherpas Chewang Lendu and Karma Serki being
the very first to the South Col, finishing the route after three days of
fixing. They started below the Yellow Band, which they fixed with 9mm rope,
then fixed from over the Geneva Spur and on into the Col.

Here is Jangbu's official tally of the teams that worked on
the route, and the number of sherpas they contributed to the fixing each day,
over the last three days:

Thanks to those teams for the help with the route work! In
addition, a number of other teams helped carry rope to Camp 2 and donated
gear, rope, etc. We'll have a complete summary in the future of who helped and
who were the slackers!! Jangbu has a meeting planned in the next day or two to
work out the strategy for getting the route above the Col fixed. Before that
can happen there is a lot of work to do to get the Col established with tents,
rope, oxygen, etc.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: There was another collapse in the Icefall overnight, near
the Popcorn, but our sherpas found a way around it and managed to do a big
carry to Camp 2. Today we finished our first acclimatization rotation, with
the successful descent from Camp 2 to Base Camp of Nancy, Panuru, and the
Camp 2 cooks. Tomorrow starts the beginning of the second rotation. We'lll
send up new cooks, along with Scott and Rejean and over thirty sherpas who are
making a huge carry tomorrow to Camp 2 in preparation for starting to fix the
route to Camp 3.

Today we sorted out over 150 bottles of oxygen, checked the
tank pressures, and these cylinders will start moving up the hill starting
tomorrow. Greg Vernovage and the Lhotse team did a day of training out on the
glacier, practicing fixed line techniques, cramponing, and other skills they
will need for their Icefall rotation in a few days. The weather continues to
be reasonably good and we are hoping that this trend continues!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: IMG guide Greg Vernovage and the Lhotse team of climbers and
trekkers arrived in Everest Base Camp today. Everyone is doing well and were
happy to finally be here. They are all looking forward to the good food, hot
showers from our propane water heater, washing some clothes, and all the other
creature comforts of Base Camp.

Up on the mountain, there was a route collapse in the
Icefall at 5:30am this morning that gave us a scare, and blocked the way for
the Sherpas, but they found a new way through and were able to complete their
carries to camps 1 and 2. Chris went up to Camp 2 today. Hamill's team and the
Singapore team remain at Camp 2. We are now working on getting all the rope
moved up to Camp 2 to begin the route fixing on the Lhotse Face. So far Ang
Jangbu has secured about 8700 meters of rope from the various teams, along
with screws, pickets, caribiners, and oxygen (for the fixing above the Col).
The fixing is scheduled to start on the 23rd.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Today was a beautiful day, but a bit windy. We heard from
Tucker and Merle on the radio periodically throughout the morning, as they
ascended Lobuche Peak, reaching the summit about 11 am. Congrats to the
Lobuche climbers!! They have now all successfully descended back to Lobuche
base camp.

At Everest, the Icefall sherpas made good progress today and
are now only a day or two from Camp 1. This photo shows the route, currently
up past the football field. IMG team members continued their acclimatization
program with several climbers and sherpas ascending to the Popcorn area of the
icefall while others IMG climbers went hiking today, reaching Pumori Camp 1,
which is over 19,000 feet and gives a great view of the base camp area.

We spoke on the radio this morning to Greg Vernovage and the
Lhotse team, as they left Namche — they are in Tengboche tonight and all is
going well with them.

Tomorrow is Easter for us, and we are looking forward to a
special brunch for the team. We send best wishes to all our friends
and family.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: After a couple snowy days the weather improved and many team
members are washing clothes and taking showers today.

IMG guides Mark Tucker and Justin Merle called on the radio
this afternoon from high camp on Lobuche Peak. The team has made it into
position to attempt the summit tomorrow. The weather is looking good and
everyone is doing well.

At Everest, the Icefall Doctors today extended the route to
almost the top of the icefall, so we are hoping that within the next couple
days the route to C1 will be finished. Most team members have now managed to
go partway up the Icefall to practice their ladder crossing techniques.

IMG Guide Greg Vernovage reports from Namche that the Lhotse
team (the members were originally planning to go to Cho Oyu before the Chinese
closed Tibet) are all doing well. The are planning to move to Tengboche
tomorrow and will be joining us at Everest Base Camp next week.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Today saw several IMG team members making initial forays
into the Icefall. Ed Wardell and Jamie Berry of the Discovery
film team went up with the Icefall doctors to shoot the installation of some
of the ladders. The Icefall route is now established through the "popcorn"
section and up to the "football field". It will take another couple days of
work to build the route up the final steep pitches of the Icefall.

In the meantime, other IMG members and some of our new
sherpas are continuing to work on the ropes course that Panuru set up near the
bottom of the Icefall. This, along with the ladder practice area we have set
up, is a good chance for everyone to get dialed on the icefall techniques.

Tomorrow we have a number of the team heading up partway for
practice and acclimatization runs. This afternoon we were joined at BC by the
JF Carrey trek group from eastern Canada (JF summited with IMG on Everest a
couple years ago, the youngest Canadian to climb the mountain). They had hiked
in via the Gokyo Valley route and will be here another day before heading
down. With them is our final Everest team member, Rejean Audet. Now we are all
here and everyone is doing well.

Tomorrow morning Mark Tucker, Justin Merle and the Lobuche
Peak team head down the valley to climb this attractive 20K footer near
Mt. Everest. They will be back to Base Camp in four days. So far so good!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: The IMG Everest team went to bed last night to a snowy
scene, as a storm moved up the valley late in the afternoon and dumped about
six inches of snow by bedtime. This morning is was clear and blue, but again
this afternoon more snow came, though not as heavy as yesterday. This trend of
clear mornings and snowy afternoons is not unusual, and we are glad to see
some accumulation on the mountain. The Khumbu has had a very dry winter with
very little snowfall, and the upper part of Everest is quite black, so some
snow will improve the climbing conditions for our team.

We are still organizing the 20,000 pounds of food, fuel, and
gear that was shipped to Base Camp, so we have a few more days of work here
before everything is well organized. Today Mark Tucker led the Lobuche
climbers for a climbing school on the glacier near the Icefall, and Justin
Merle led some of our climbers up into the Icefall for some climbing practice.
Tomorrow we plan to set up a ropes course to further practice the skills that
will be necessary for the Icefall and Lobuche Peak.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

The IMG Everest team reached Everest base camp today and had
the Puja (blessing ceremony) with our sherpas. We were joined by the lama from
Pangboche monastary who led the ceremony. The weather was excellent and
everyone had a great time celebrating the official beginning of the climb. The
Icefall Doctors (icefall route sherpas hired by SPCC) have now placed nine
ladders and have reached the "popcorn" section of the icefall. They are hoping
to finish the route up the icefall in the next few days if all goes well.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Expedition Leader

Earlier: Expedition Leader, Eric Simonson, reports that yesterday the
team trekked from Dingboche (14,450') to Lobuche (16,000') and will stay there
for another rest day and good night's sleep. The team is doing well and
enjoying the big views from day hikes around Lobuche.

Eric is excited that the Icefall doctors have started their
work on the Khumbu Icefall. Ang Jangbu in Everest Base Camp says the Icefall
Doctors had their Puja (blessing ceremony) yesterday and began working in the
icefall today. The Icefall Doctors are a few Sherpas, paid for by all the
climbing expeditions, whose job it is to set the best possible route through
the icefall and maintain it throughout the climbing season as the glacier
moves and inevitable destroys parts of the route which have to be reset. We
expect that the icefall route will be set in a week or so. The team plans to
make it to Everest Base camp on Monday, March 6th, and everything is moving
forward as planned!

Ang Jangbu in BC reports that the Singapore women's group
did summit Lobuche Peak yesterday at around 11am and returned to Lobuche base
camp safely. They are taking a rest day there today and plan to come all the
way to Everest Base Camp tomorrow. While John Golden's group is in Dingboche
and everyone is doing well.

Earlier: Tengboche, Pangboche, Pheriche: IMG expedition leader Eric
Simonson called in to say that yesterday the team hiked from Namche to
Tengboche Monastery at 12,700', and then went a little further to spend the
night in Pangboche.

Today the team will be moving up to Pheriche at around
14,000' where they'll spend the night and have a rest day, acclimating and
doing some short hikes. In Pheriche they'll also meet with the HRA (Himalayan
Rescue Association) who have established a clinic in Pheriche and treat anyone
who needs their help for a nominal fee. They meet with climbing and trekking
expeditions to better prepare them for altitude issues and other potential
mountaineering health issues.

All is well, and everybody is doing fine. Typical for the
Khumbu Valley in the Spring, the weather is cold and clear in the mornings
with some light (but melting away) snow in the afternoons.

Earlier: Over the next few weeks people from all over the world will
converge on Kathmandu, Nepal to join in one of the world's classic
human-powered challenges. For some the goal will be the summit, for others it
will be Base Camp. Each year at Mt. Everest there is a different mix of teams
and countries represented, but we all share personal goals, a love of the
mountains, and an adventurous spirit.

In Kathmandu, preparing for our arrival, IMG leader Ang
Jangbu and his team have already received our big oxygen shipment, as well as
50 new tents, 2500 meters of 8 and 9mm fixed rope, and additional food and
supplies that were shipped ahead of our departure. They have repackaged
everything into yak loads, and we have now had several big MI 17 helicopter
flights to Shyangboche (above Namche), with over 3000 kg of food, fuel, and
gear on each flight. These flights were met on arrival by our sirdar, Ang
Pasang, and his crew, and sent toward Base Camp by yaks. Currently we have
some of the Sherpa team at Base Camp, constructing the tent platforms. Since
the camp is on a moraine, underlain by ice which moves and melts, these need
to be reconstructed each year (and sometimes even during the expedition!) IMG
leaders Mark Tucker, Justin Merle, Mike Hamill, and I are all on our way to
Nepal and will be there in the next few days. Next stop, Kathmandu!

We have a great team for 2009 and I am personally looking
forward to meeting everyone soon.

This Everest expedition is truly a team effort. On behalf of
everyone on the IMG team, from Ashford to Kathmandu, thanks for following
along with us. We'll look forward to sharing our 2009 Everest adventure
with you!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Earlier: In 2009 IMG will return to with a few more members! IMG
Himalayan Director Eric Simonson, and a film team featuring IMG on Discovery
Channel’s popular Everest TV series, will join the great group of climbers and
trekkers already on board for IMG’s 2009 Everest expedition. Since 1991 IMG
has successfully supported 179 people from 14 countries to the summit of
Everest, and we are looking forward to another great season on Everest.The
planning and preparations are already well under way. Ang Jangbu reports from
Kathmandu that the first 3000kg of gear was sent last week by helicopter to
Shyangboche. The loads are now moving by yak toward Base Camp, where the
Sherpa team has already started building our camp. Stay tuned for more!

Everest from the South Side
in Nepal

Base Camp - 17,500 feet (5350
meters)

This is a
picture of the popular South Col Route up Mt. Everest. Base camp is located
at 17,500 feet. This is where climbers begin their true trip up the
mountain. This is also where support staff often remain to monitor the
expeditions and provide medical assistance when necessary. Many organizations
offer hiking trips which just go to base camp as the trip is not technically
challenging (though you must be very fit).

From base
camp, climbers typically train and acclimate (permitting the body to adjust to
the decreased oxygen in the air) by traveling and bringing supplies back and
forth through the often treacherous Khumbu Icefall. This training and
recuperation continues throughout the climb, with the final summit push often
being the only time to climbers do not go back and forth between camps to
train, bring supplies, and recuperate for the next push.

The Icefall
is in constant motion. It contains enormous ice seracs, often larger than
houses, which dangle precariously over the climbers heads, threatening to fall
at any moment without warning, as the climbers cross endless crevasses and
listen to continuous ice creaking below. This often acts as a testing ground
to judge if less experienced climbers will be capable of continuing. The
Icefall is located between 17,500 and 19,500 feet.

Camp I -
5900 meters

After the
Icefall, the climbers arrive at Camp I, which is located at 19,500 feet.
Depending on the type of expedition, Camp I will either be stocked by the
climbers as they ascend and descend the Icefall, or by Sherpas in advance.

The area
between Camp I and Camp II is known as the Western Cwm. As the climbers reach
Camp II at 21,000 feet, they may be temporarily out of sight of their support
at Base camp. Nonetheless, modern communication devises permit the parties to
stay in contact.

Camp II -
6500 meters

As the
climbers leave Camp II, they travel towards the Lhotse face (Lhotse is a
27,920 foot mountain bordering Everest). The Lhotse face is a steep, shiny
icy wall. Though not technically extremely difficult, one misstep or slip
could mean a climber's life. Indeed, many climbers have lost their lives
through such mishaps.

Camp III -
23,700 feet (7200 meters)

To reach Camp
III, climbers must negotiate the Lhotse Face. Climbing a sheer wall of ice
demands skill, strength and stamina. It is so steep and treacherous that many
Sherpas move directly from Camp II to Camp IV on the South Col, refusing to
stay on the Lhotse Face.

Camp IV -
26,300 feet (8000 meters)

As you’re leaving C4…it’s a
little bit of a down slope, with the uphill side to the left. There are
typically snow on the ledges to walk down on, interspersed with rock, along
with some fixed rope. The problem with the rope is that the anchors are bad,
and there’s not much holding the rope and a fall could be serious. Fortunately
it’s not too steep, but there is a ton of exposure and people are usually
tired when walking down from camp. The rock is a little down sloping to the
right as well, and with crampons on, it can be bit tricky with any kind of
wind. There’s a little short slope on reliable snow which leads to the top of
the Geneva Spur, and the wind pressure gradient across the spur can increase
there as you’re getting set up for the rappel. Wearing an oxygen mask here can
create some footing issues during the rappel, because it’s impossible to see
over the mask and down to the feet. For that reason, some people choose to
leave Camp 4 without gas, as it’s easier to keep moving down the Spur when
it’s important to see all the small rock steps and where the old feet are
going. Navigating down through all of the spaghetti of fixed ropes is a bit of
a challenge, especially with mush for brains at that point. One lands on some
lower ledges which aren’t so steep, where fixed ropes through here are solid.
At this point, it’s just a matter of staying upright, and usually, the wind
has died significantly after dropping off the Spur. The route turns hard to
the left onto the snowfield that leads to the top of the Yellow Bands.

Camp IV,
which is at 26,300 on the Lhotse face, is typically the climbers' first
overnight stay in the Death Zone. The Death Zone is above 26,000 feet.
Though there is nothing magical about that altitude, it is at this altitude
that most human bodies lose all ability to acclimate. Accordingly, the body
slowly begins to deteriorate and die - thus, the name "Death Zone." The
longer a climber stays at this altitude, the more likely illness (HACE - high
altitude cerebral edema - or HAPE - high altitude pulmonary edema) or death
will occur. Most climbers will use oxygen to climb and sleep at this altitude
and above. Generally, Sherpas refuse to sleep on the Lhotse face and will
travel to either Camp II or Camp IV.

Camp IV is
located at 26,300 feet. This is the final major camp for the summit push. It
is at this point that the climbers make their final preparations. It is also
a haven for worn-out climbers on their exhausting descent from summit attempts
(both successful and not). Sherpas or other climbers will often wait here
with supplies and hot tea for returning climbers.

From Camp IV,
climbers will push through the Balcony, at 27,500 feet, to the Hillary Step at
28,800 feet. The Hillary Step, an over 70 foot rock step, is named after Sir.
Edmond Hillary, who in 1953, along with Tenzing Norgay, became the first
people to summit Everest. The Hillary Step, which is climbed with fixed
ropes, often becomes a bottleneck as only one climber can climb at a time.
Though the Hillary Step would not be difficult at sea level for experienced
climbers, at Everest's altitude, it is considered the most technically
challenging aspect of the climb.

Summit -
29,028 feet (8848 meters)

Once the
climbers ascend the Hillary Step, they slowly and laboriously proceed to the
summit at 29,028 feet. The summit sits at the top of the world. Though not
the closest place to the sun due to the earth's curve, it is the highest peak
on earth. Due to the decreased air pressure, the summit contains less than
one third the oxygen as at sea level. If dropped off on the summit directly
from sea level (impossible in reality), a person would die within minutes.
Typically, climbers achieving the great summit will take pictures, gain their
composure, briefly enjoy the view, then return to Camp IV as quickly as
possible. The risk of staying at the summit and the exhaustion from
achieving the summit is too great to permit climbers to fully enjoy the great
accomplishment at that moment.

As most
readers of this page know, the return trip can be even more dangerous than the
climb to the summit.